Guide To The Types Of Paraneoplastic Syndromes

Paraneoplastic syndromes are rare disorders that can develop in cancer patients. Though the syndromes typically affect the nervous system, they can also affect organ systems including the dermatologic, hematologic, rheumatologic, and endocrine systems. Therefore, they affect an individual's hormones, joints, blood, and skin. Paraneoplastic syndromes happen when the immune system's cancer-fighting agents mistakenly attack portions of the muscle, peripheral nerves, spinal cord, or brain. The symptoms are wide-ranging because they depend upon which part of the nervous system was attacked. While the injury can sometimes be reversed, it's also possible for the disease to cause rapid and irreversible nervous system damage.